Rainy days and one happy mama

From Karin:

For the first time since we've been here, we had a stretch of iffy weather.  For most of last week, leading up to and including Mother's Day, we had lots of rainy, windy and overcast weather.  In the beginning, it was kind of nice to have some variety in our weather, but after a few days we all started going a bit stir crazy.  OK, mom (a.k.a. Captain of the Ship), time to get creative....

8 ways to kill time on a rainy day in Maui

1.  Take a family nap.  Not very creative, but SOOOOO good.  I've commented on the joys of this in a previous post so enough said about that.

2.  Clean up the yard.  We got a lot of mileage out of sending Davis outside (between the downpours) to collect all of the "palm froms" that had fallen into the yard during said downpours.  He loved running around the yard to make a big pile.  Each time it stopped raining, he'd say "OK, I have work to do" and run back outside.

 

I wasn't kidding when I called them downpours.

3.  Send a care package.  We spent half a day shopping for, packing and mailing a care package of Hawaiian goodies to the girls in the dorm.  I've gotten really good at turning one errand into the day's activity.

4.  Build a fleet of vehicles out of Legos.  An activity really for Davis and Daddy, these two can build just about anything.  It's wonderful to sit and back and watch until they start fighting over the perfect piece to finish their respective masterpieces.  Currently, Peter is into building jet skis and Davis is mastering rocket ships.

A new rocket for Buzz.  Interestingly, this rocket has every set of wheels that we own.  Why we need this many wheels in space, I'm not sure, but Davis thought it was perfect. 

5.  Go on a toad hunt.  (Oh, my, I think I just heard Tag and Benji gasp with pride).  This became part of our nightly repertoire and it has stuck.  Once its dark, our driveway just teems with toads of every size.  With flashlight in hand and a grown up to help him feel brave, Davis loves to go out and see how many of these guys we can find.  Unfortunately, the neighborhood is so populated by these ugly little hoppers, we often also see them in the road on our walks during the day... in a slightly flatter configuration.

6.  Go bowling.  Probably the greenest game we have invented.  We have accumulated an impressive collection of "pins" and it can get quite competitive. One caveat for those of you who want to try this at home.  Crashing empty bottles = loud = interrupted baby nap = mean face from mommy.  You've been warned.

    

7.  Go to a craft fair.  Last Saturday, during a break in the weather, we went to an enormous craft fair at my future place of employment, Seabury Hall.  (Sorry, Anne, couldn't resist.) We arrived at 11 am to find the parking lot overflowing and the place just crawling with people.  This is an annual event that the school holds as a fundraiser for their financial aid program.  There were 135 vendor booths, food from local restaurants, a rummage sale, games, bouncy houses, pony rides, music, shave ice, face painting, etc.  All in all, the perfect, family-friendly, community event.  I looked at jewelry, Peter negotiated the crowds with the double stroller and Davis turned into a tiger.  Oh, yes, and Carter slept.  Surprise, surprise.

8.  Just get out of the house.  We were getting desperate and then a stroke of genius.  IHOP and a haircut.  Pancakes all around and a trim for Davis.  Not a bad day.

While the rain didn't stop entirely and half of our picnic got rained out, Mother's Day was still a wonderful day.  It started with breakfast in bed for me...banana pancakes, fresh strawberries and coffee...and cards from everyone here and at home.  It cleared enough to take a walk on the beach (by myself!) and the boys planned a picnic dinner at Ho'okipa.  We had cocktails in the grass and dinner in the car, but finished the night off at Ono for gelato so all's well that ends well.  Lucky mama and yet my favorite part of the day still hadn't happened yet.  As I was heading into bed, I said goodnight to Peter and said "Thanks for a great day".  He looked up from his book and said, "Thanks for a great life."  While that might just be the sabbatical talking, I thought it was pretty great.

A great start to my special day.  Nice undies, D.

At Ho'okipa with my boys right before the rain started.  We ate in the car but ended up at Ono.  Flavor update:  I finally had Sandy Beach (peanut butter with a hint of sea salt) and vanilla bean (so simple, but so good).